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Hu Liena stood at the ramparts, her gaze sweeping across the opposing forces as though searching for something. A complex flicker of emotion passed through her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by steely resolve. She knew that at a time like this, she could not afford even a moment's hesitation.
The Tian Dou Empire's army had advanced to within twenty li of Jialing Pass before halting. This time, the formation had changed dramatically. Light cavalry still flanked both wings, bows drawn and arrows nocked, waiting in silence. But at the very front of the central column, heavy infantry now took the vanguard. Every manner of siege equipment had been pressed forward. The heavy cavalry were not positioned at the center — ordinary infantry held that place, with heavy infantry on either side. Behind them came the Tian Dou Empire's Soul Master corps and the
At the forefront of the army, standing apart from their own Soul Master corps, were
Tang San stood, without question, at the very center of this group. Though the
With the battle formation arranged and both armies watching, Tang San walked forward alone, slowly raising the Sea God's Trident high above his head. A brilliant beam of golden light shot from his forehead like lightning, pouring into the Heart of the Sea God. Instantly, every groove and rune along the trident seemed to come alive — golden light surged along its length and shot skyward, as though the weapon had become the very center of the battlefield. A powerful, sacred aura suffused Tang San's body, turning it entirely gold. The intense waves of energy seemed to draw in everything around them.
"Tian Dou shall prevail!" Tang San's voice thundered across the field. What left the Spirit Empire's generals on Jialing Pass's ramparts pale was that his voice carried unbroken across the full twenty li, reaching the very top of the wall — and simultaneously echoing across every one of Tian Dou's million-strong army.
"Ti-an — Dou — shall — pre-vail! — Lan — Hao — King — shall — pre-vail!"
Boom, boom, boom…
With each syllable bellowed, the Tian Dou army surged one step forward. Soldiers repeated the same cry over and over as the host advanced once more. It seemed that with every word shouted, their momentum grew greater still. The terrifying wall of sound formed an almost tangible pressure that crashed against Jialing Pass.
Not only the defenders on the wall — even the five Titled Douluo standing beside Hu Liena had gone visibly pale. The impression Tang San had left during their last encounter was burned too deeply into their minds.
Tang San suddenly moved. The Sea God's Trident blazing with golden light, he shot toward Jialing Pass like a golden meteor. At the same moment, the Tian Dou Empire's powerhouses who had been flanking him surged into motion, pressing forward rapidly in his wake. In the span of a blink, they had already separated entirely from their own army.
Under the full-speed charge of warriors who were at minimum Soul Douluo-level experts, twenty li vanished in an instant. Before long, they were closing rapidly on Jialing Pass.
"Holy Maiden, what do we do?" Watching the ever-approaching Sea God's Trident, panic erupted across the ramparts. These people had already developed an instinctive dread of Tang San.
Seeing that familiar figure once more, Hu Liena bit down lightly on the tip of her tongue, using the pain to wrench herself free from the turbulent emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. She cast a cold glance at the Spirit Empire's pillars of strength arrayed around her. In a situation like this, it should have been these Titled Douluo who led the most elite Soul Masters out to intercept Tang San and his advance party. But the Soul Masters' will to fight was alarmingly low. Sending them out to engage now would be, frankly, a terrible idea. Hu Liena was, after all, still not Bibi Dong. She lacked Bibi Dong's power and certainly lacked her iron authority. These Titled Douluo were former Spirit Hall elders — not people she could fully command.
So Hu Liena had no choice but to settle for a lesser course of action. Her voice was low and grave: "Hold our ground and observe. Be ready to intercept at any moment. Under no circumstances are they to set foot on the ramparts."
"Yes—"
Hearing Hu Liena's words, the high-level Soul Masters on the wall visibly relaxed.
Hu Liena gazed out at Tang San, who was already nearing the moat. Tang San, oh Tang San, what are you trying to do? she thought. Charging forward with so few people — what purpose could that possibly serve? She still understood him quite well. With Tang San's intelligence, he would never act without purpose. Dashing deep into enemy lines with barely a dozen people — there had to be profound significance behind it.
Tang San had spotted Hu Liena, just as she had spotted him — with the visual acuity of his Purple Extreme Demon Eye, he could naturally see her as clearly. Tang San did not have nearly as many swirling emotions as Hu Liena. Although he appreciated her, the Spirit Empire was his absolute enemy. The hatred between their two sides ran far, far too deep. Beyond the destruction of the other, there was no possibility of reconciliation.
When the distance to Jialing Pass had closed to roughly one li — well within range of the defenders' giant siege crossbows — Tang San finally halted. The golden light surrounding his body intensified dramatically. At the same time, he released his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. Nine Soul Rings, alternating between black and red, manifested and arrayed themselves neatly around him. It was at that very moment that five brilliant beams of light shot from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in
His left toes touched the ground, and a violent shockwave erupted from beneath them. Within a diameter of thirty meters, the earth cracked and splintered simultaneously, a testament to the terrifying force behind that single tap. Using his left foot as a pivot, Tang San's entire body spun a full revolution. His right arm, gripping the Sea God's Trident, extended to its absolute limit, stretching every muscle and sinew to the breaking point. His body resembled a great bow drawn to the full. Golden light flashed brilliantly, and the Sea God's Trident was hurled forward like a javelin.
The instant the true divine artifact left his hands, wreathed in gold, Hu Liena's face drained of color. The golden light flashed and vanished — and with a thunderous boom, the trident struck Jialing Pass's gate.
The last time the Sea God's Trident had been launched using the third of the Golden Thirteen Strikes — "Once Gone, Never Returns" — it had struck Bibi Dong first, causing it to lose accuracy by the time it hit the gate. This time, although Tang San had not used that divine skill, the combination of his physical strength, his terrifying Soul Power at the ninety-third level, and the trident's own weight of one hundred and eight thousand jin made this strike's power exceed the direct assault of a ninth Soul Skill from any Titled Douluo below the ninety-fifth level. In raw force alone, even Bibi Dong's most powerful Soul Skill could not compare.
In a deafening explosion, the gate of Jialing Pass — which was, after all, not the same as the city wall — was reduced to countless fragments that scattered in every direction. One of the four gates had been utterly destroyed. Behind it, at least a hundred soldiers guarding the entrance were blown apart by the splintering gate, their bodies torn to pieces.
But what followed was even more terrifying. Tang San's body spun in midair, and both his hands swept up a brilliant layer of light. Within that white-gold radiance, a tremendous suction force was born. The trident that had shattered the gate did not plunge deeper — instead, it was wrenched back upward, tracing an arc through the air as Tang San swung it with a vortex-like energy channeled through his palms.
This was Tang San's first full-powered use of the Tang Sect's ultimate technique,
"All siege crossbows — concentrated fire — stop him!" Hu Liena's voice cracked from the ramparts. Though the walls of Jialing Pass were extraordinarily sturdy and had not been shaken by the loss of a single gate, she had already grasped what Tang San intended. She immediately ordered the crossbows fired, then turned to the five Titled Douluo beside her. "Elders, take one hundred Soul Saints from the empire's Soul Masters and intercept him. You must not allow him to continue!"
The five Titled Douluo exchanged uneasy glances. None moved. Having witnessed the Sea God's Trident's power once more, none of them had any desire to face Tang San in combat.
"You—" Hu Liena's eyes blazed with fury. Though she had already suspected these elders would not fully obey her orders, having it confirmed in this manner ignited her rage.
Porcupine Fish Douluo furrowed his brow. "Holy Maiden, we should focus on defending the pass. We have the Angel Corps and the Sacred Dragon Corps inside the walls. Even if Tang San breaches the gate, we need not fear them storming in. If anything, it would only result in greater losses for them."
Massive bolts screamed from the mounted crossbows atop the wall, every one aimed at Tang San. The shrill whistling of their flight was enough to chill the soul — but they were wholly insufficient to stop him.
Colors of every hue blazed around Tang San as his companions deployed their Soul Skills to shield him. Against Soul Douluo-level experts and above, the wall's siege crossbows posed no real threat. Not a single bolt could approach within fifty meters of Tang San; every one was intercepted by the barrage of Soul Skills.
Boom — the second thunderous impact rang out. Another gate shattered. Tang San's movements did not pause. By the time the fourth explosion echoed across the battlefield, all four of Jialing Pass's massive gates had been reduced to splinters.
When Tang San completed his fourth strike and retrieved the Sea God's Trident into his grip once more, he could not suppress a slight pant. But the formidable restorative power of the
The drawbridges of Jialing Pass were not positioned directly before the gates but off to the sides. Hu Liena's earlier orders had been carried out — all four massive drawbridges had been destroyed.
With Xue Beng's approval, Grand Marshal Gelong raised his long sword and issued the order to charge. The central army's infantry did not bother pushing the siege equipment forward — they simply rushed directly toward Jialing Pass. At least two hundred thousand soldiers surged into the first wave of the assault. The infantry at the very front each carried a wooden plank strapped to their backs — one meter wide, one and a half meters long — its purpose unknown. The Soul Master corps and the Tang Sect Army followed suit, closing rapidly on the pass.
Seeing the drawbridges destroyed, a cold smile touched the corner of Tang San's mouth. A scenario like this was something they had naturally anticipated, and they had prepared countermeasures.
"Sword Douluo, please begin."
Boom — the first strike of the Seven Kill Sword descended, and the moat was cleaved nearly in two. The terrifying sword energy nearly severed the entire waterway in an instant. The flow of water did not, of course, truly stop, but on either side of the moat, enormous gorges ten meters wide were carved into the banks, angling steeply down into the water.
Chen Xin's movements were far from finished. Midair, the sword's afterimages flickered in rapid succession — thirteen strikes in total, distributed evenly across the length of the moat, each carving out a gorge of equal magnitude. Every gorge sloped downward like a ramp, descending into the water. The full might of a ninety-seventh-level Titled Douluo was on display. The awe inspired by those thirteen terrifying strikes was no less than the four trident throws Tang San had unleashed moments before.
The five Spirit Empire Titled Douluo on the ramparts drew sharp breaths. They were the most powerful warriors currently at Jialing Pass, the closest to Sword Douluo's level, and naturally felt the impact of his strike most acutely. Each asked himself whether he could have withstood that blow — and each concluded he could not. They were all the more grateful that they had not heeded Hu Liena's command to sortie and fight.
After those thirteen strikes, the Seven Kill Sword reverted to its original size and returned to Chen Xin's hand. His face looked somewhat pale, and he panted lightly while gripping the sword. And it was precisely as sheathed his weapon that Tang San hurled the Sea God's Trident for the fifth time — though this time, even his own side could not help but be startled by his actions.
The trident was not aimed at the opposite walls. Instead, it was launched skyward, blade pointing up, shaft pointing down — and with a splash, it plunged directly into the moat.
A mocking smile played on Tang San's face. He pressed his right index, middle, and ring fingers against the trident's imprint on his forehead. His entire being — body, spirit, and will — surged to its absolute peak.
Even Tang San himself had not expected the battle to go this smoothly. There had been none of the resistance he had imagined. The Spirit Empire's army seemed content to simply wait in silence, sending no Soul Masters out to engage.
His right arm swept outward, the three fingers that had been pressed to his forehead now pointing toward the moat. A concentrated beam of powerful golden light erupted instantaneously, striking directly into the water — precisely where the Sea God's Trident had plunged beneath the surface.
The instant that golden light entered the water, a colossal golden apparition materialized behind Tang San. Its aura of majesty was such that every Soul Master — whether on the ramparts or in the field nearby — felt themselves awed by its imposing presence. A strange sensation arose in every heart. In their eyes, though Tang San still stood upon the bank, he seemed to have merged with the moat itself. No — more accurately, it was the moat that had merged with him.
The moat, which had been roiling with spray from Sword Douluo's thirteen strikes as though it were boiling, suddenly and impossibly stilled. It froze flat as a mirror. Strange ripples spread silently across its surface — not water ripples, but waves of light. Golden waves of light.
And in the next instant, Hu Liena looked down from the ramparts and saw with horror that the entire moat before Jialing Pass had turned to solid gold.
Tang San spoke in a voice only his companions could hear, his tone laced with mockery. "I may not be the Sea God yet, but trying to use water to hold back our army? What an absurd notion."